Temptation

"If you want to avenge yourself on the devil and free yourselves more quickly from temptation, ask the superior, as soon as a temptation comes to you, to give you some lowly office to do, or do some such thing, as best you can, on our own initiative, studying as you do it how to [...]

"If you want to avenge yourself on the devil and free yourselves more quickly from temptation, ask the superior, as soon as a temptation comes to you, to give you some lowly office to do, or do some such thing, as best you can, on our own initiative, studying as you do it how to [...]

"Simply turn your whole heart towards Jesus Christ Crucified, and lovingly kiss His Sacred feet. This is the best way to conquer the enemy… Moreover, this way of dealing with temptation is so offensive to the Evil One that, finding he does but provoke souls to an increased love of God by his assaults, he [...]

"Simply turn with your whole heart toward Jesus Christ Crucified, and lovingly kiss His Sacred Feet. This is the best way to conquer the Enemy, whether in small or great temptations; for inasmuch as the Love of God contains the perfection of every virtue, and that more excellently than the very virtues themselves; it is [...]

"While it is not a hard thing to abstain from murder, but it is very difficult to avoid all passing fits of anger, which assail us at every moment. A man or woman can easily keep from adultery, often difficult to resist coveting them; easy to avoid bearing false witness in direct judgment, difficult to [...]

"While it is right to resist great temptations with invincible courage, and all such victories will be most valuable, still there is perhaps more absolute profit to our souls in resisting little ones." Source: St. Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life, Random House, Inc., 2002.

"So soon as you feel yourself anywise tempted, do as your little children when they see a wolf or a bear in the mountains. Forthwith they run to the protection of their father or mother, or at least cry out for help. Do you fly in like manner to God, claiming His compassion and succor [...]

"Thus it sometimes happens that temptation in itself is sin to us, because we have ourselves brought it upon us. For instance, if I know that gaming leads me to passion and blasphemy, and that all play is temptation to me, I sin each and every time that I play, and I am responsible for [...]

"Indeed, it has often happened that those who had been steadfast under violent assaults, failing to correspond faithfully to Divine Grace, have yielded under the pressure of very trifling temptations." Source: St. Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life, Random House, Inc., 2002.